As the World Falls Down
by CaitlynKamikaze
Summary: Sarah has forced herself to forget the Labyrinth and the Goblin King. When she accidentally wishes herself back, will she realize this is where she truly belongs?
1. Chapter 1: Burning Eggs

**NOTE: I do not own the Labyrinth or any part of the movie, book, or characters. There may be OCs pop up, but you'll know them from the canons. :] I do not claim any part of the film to be my own. Characters belong to Jim Henson and whoever else owns their rights. **

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><p>Day broke on the tiny town of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania as the rays of sunlight beamed into a young woman's room. The light bounced off of the dozens of posters plastered here and there over the walls, teenage and young adult faces beaming down. They had been her idols once, but not now. The walls themselves were painted a light rosy pink, the sun bringing out the gloss in the paint. The twin sized bed was covered with blankets of a similar pink shade, tangled around the long legs of a young woman who lay deep in slumber beneath them. Her long dark hair tangled beneath her and some fanned out onto the pillow, small tangles placed in just the right places to irritate her when she brushed her hair out in the mornings. Her right hand was up by her face, palm up. Her pale skin seemed to fade into the cream-colored pillow, sun never seeming to seep into her skin to warm up her color. The young woman sighed softly in her sleep, her body rising with the intake of air. Her chocolate brown eyes fluttered open, her long lashes batting for a second as the sun swept into her vision and blind her momentarily.<p>

The young woman slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hands. Her soft lips parted in a yawn as she swung her long, slender legs out from under the tangled covers, standing to her full height. She stepped over old stuffed animals that had been tossed on the floor the night before and some old books that lay dog-eared and open to random pages in neglect and carelessness. She sat down on the small stool before her vanity, her eyes seeing her reflection for the first time that morning.

Sarah hadn't changed much since she was fifteen. Her hair had gotten longer, of course, and her body had matured into that of a woman. Her ski slope nose still felt – to her – a little large for her slender face. Of course, many boys who had dated her said she was "a looker", but who were they to say that? They only wanted in her pants. Of course, back then, she had been rather scrawny and loud-mouthed. At twenty, she had grown into a five foot six frame and had gotten a little bit more mature. She always had described herself as a colt stumbling around right after birth; Sarah never had been very graceful. The only time she'd really ever been graceful had been that day at the … No. Why would she ever remember such a thing? It had been Hell for her. Ever going back there would be pointless and she knew it. Why even remember the place that had caused her to mature and become a woman? She'd almost lost Toby to _that man _because of her selfish desires and wishes.

Him. She hadn't thought of the Goblin King for so long. She never really wanted to. Sarah had immediately erased all images of him and the Labyrinth from her memory – as well as Toby's – for good. She didn't want Toby recalling that place and ever asking her about it. Sarah didn't think she could bear it. The memories were still strong and fresh in her mind as if they had just ended the night before. The ballroom scene still played in her dreams, but this time it had a different ending. He had paused time for their intimate dance, his mismatched eyes gazing down upon her with an unreadable emotion. For a while, their little race didn't matter; it was just the two of them in their own little world, in their own Labyrinth.

But this was the present. Sarah knew things were different now. She was grown up and grownups didn't believe in fairy tales, goblins, Goblin Kings, or magical lands where any of the preceding existed. Toby had moved on from fairy tales and adventure stories to Tonka trucks and dinosaurs, preferring those items. She and Toby were still as close as two catfish in a skillet, but she knew things weren't the same. Not since that night.

One night – about four years after the incident - Toby had come to Sarah, asking about a dream he had had. A tall man with feathered blond hair and mismatched eyes had come to him, speaking about a Labyrinth near the Goblin City. Toby asked Sarah what this man meant and who he was. Sarah, overreacting, had screamed at Toby and almost uttered those words that had started that trip years before: _"I wish the goblins would come get you right now!" _

Sarah stared morosely into her mirror, her dark eyes watching her reflection as she sighed once more. She caught movement out of the corner of her eye toward her window, her head jerking that direction instinctively. Nothing. The curtain was loose, flowing gently against the window in the slight breeze her window, open a smidgen, caused. Sarah could have sworn she saw something white flutter from her windowsill, but her mind seemed most imaginative right after she woke up. Yawning and stretching her arms out from her body, she heard the satisfying popping of her joints and stood. Her hair could wait. Her stomach grumbled, low and strong, as it signaled her intense hunger. She hadn't eaten the night before and if she didn't eat soon, she'd end up eating Toby. Giggling to herself, Sarah stepped out of her room, tripping on a teddy bear named Lancelot. Steadying herself, Sarah placed Lancelot on the end of her bed, muttering, "Now you just stay there, mister. You'll get in less trouble." With that, she turned and walked out of the room.

Outside her window, a white barn owl hooted on a tree branch.

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><p>Sarah padded into the kitchen, her thin cotton pajamas suddenly feeling warm on her body. The ground floor of her home always felt so much warmer than the upstairs, but that didn't bother her. She stepped to the fridge, opening it and leaning over to survey the contents. <em>Milk, eggs, half a loaf of bread, leftover lasagna from two nights ago - might not be good, should probably pitch it soon - ham salad, and pickled eggs. Hmm. <em>Sarah's brow furrowed as she mulled over her ingredients. Finally, she pulled out the milk, eggs, and the half loaf of bread and shut the refrigerator door with her foot. Placing the food on the counter, she leaned down and pulled a skillet from a rotating rack in the side pantry. Placing the skillet on the stove top, she heated the burner to medium and turned back to the ingredients she had just pulled from the fridge. She opened the egg carton and picked out two healthy eggs. Cracking one and then the other on the side of the skillet, she dropped the yolks and whites into the skillet, watching the liquid being to bubble under the heat. Sarah knew it would take at least a minute for the eggs to being frying and her bladder was nearly bursting, so she quickly skidded out of the kitchen and down the hallway to the bathroom.

As she washed her hands, Sarah watched her reflection in the tiny mirror above the sink. Her eyes had dark circles underneath them from lack of sleep. She knew that she should be getting more sleep, but nightmares had been keeping her awake at night. Nightmares that had once upon a time been her favorite dreams to have. Now his face plagued them all, smiling down at her that fake smirk, that one that told her he pretended to care about her. Sarah's gaze finally truly connected with the image in the mirror, one not of her own face. The reflection rendered her frozen solid. A man stared back at her, his piercing blue eyes peering into her own. His left eye, the pupil further dilated than the other, seemed to gaze deeper into her, past her facial features and past her heart. It saw into the deepest reaches of her soul and her mind, reading her innermost thoughts. Sarah shuddered as the reflection mirrored her reaction. Her jaw dropped. The expression seemed almost comical on the Goblin King's face, his high mess of perfectly tangled hair seeming to glow in the light from the fixture above her. Sarah shrieked, stepping back from the mirror.

"Get AWAY from me!" she screamed. Her hands went to cover her eyes, to keep him from looking at her face. She didn't want him to look at her. Sarah peeked through her fingers, finding her own reflection in the mirror once more. Sighing softly, she placed one hand on her heart to feel her racing heartbeat. The hand on her chest seemed to calm her as she stepped forward to shut off the water she had forgotten to turn off in her fright. She sighed softly, leaning on the sink to calm herself.

_BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!_

Sarah's head jerked up as the words floated on her lips. "Oh no. The eggs!"

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><p><strong>Authors' note: <strong>

**Ooopsie. Looks like Sarah forgot about her breakfast. o: **

**Anywho, yes, Sarah is a darker woman now. Not all doom and gloom, but more withdrawn. Some insight: **

**- She's 20 and lives on her own. She's repressed all memories of the Labyrinth and magical creatures. She, however, took all the decorations from her old room and replaced them in her new room at her home. Why? You'll see. ;D Anyway, I write faster if I have reviews (and it helps to be in the mood - which I have been a lot recently). So review? I know this chapter was slightly boring, but I was thinking up the plot as I went and was on auto-pilot. It'll get better, I promise. :] **


	2. Chapter 2: A Heard Wish

Sarah dashed from the bathroom frantically. She darted down the hall and turned left into the dining room. _God, I hope nothing's on fire._ The last time she'd dealt with a fire was at her old house three years ago when Karen had left an iron on while pressing her "Sunday best". Karen had turned to grab Toby away from the cord when the iron dropped. She had taken him up the stairs into Sarah's room, asking her to watch him while she ironed. The dreaded beeps had started a minute later. Nothing had been really destroyed – except Karen's clothes; she wasn't too happy about that – but Sarah still couldn't face fire herself.

She stopped as she came to the entrance of the kitchenette, the orange glow covering her face as a chill ran down her tingling spine. Her jaw dropped in horror as she watched flames curl and leap around her kitchen, originating from the tiny frying pan on the stove. _I guess it's an understatement to say my eggs are done. _Her feet remained frozen in place as she stared at the twirling and dancing flames lick at her wallpaper, which was already starting to curl. Quickly Sarah snapped to her senses and darted for the phone sitting across from the entrance to the kitchenette. She dialed those three familiar numbers that had been drilled into her since elementary school, turning back to watch the flames. Impatiently waiting, she tapped her foot as the phone rang once, twice, three times before a calm and collected voice answered.

"Hello, 9-1-1, what's your emergency?" She could have sworn it was recorded from the calm, bored tone the operator had.

"I need the fire company. My kitchen is on fire!" Sarah squeaked, her dark eyes widening at the sight of the flames coming closer. "I'm at 3426 Orchard Drive. Please hurry!" She dropped the phone and darted into the living room. She wasn't letting one thing burn if this house went down. Already she could see the flames beginning to burn a dark spot on the living room wall right outside of the kitchen. Turning back the hallway again, she dashed into her room, stopping breathlessly in the doorway. Sarah's eyes darted around the room, trying to pick out the thing she was looking for. _Where is it, where is it? _Panicked, she put her hands to her head, trying to think. It had been on her dresser last night. Where was it now? "Ohhhh, it isn't fair! Where is it?"

Suddenly, a slight gleam caught her eye. There the crystal lay on the bedside table, carved in the likeness of a star. After the party with her friends from the Labyrinth, she'd flopped down into bed only to end up regretting it. Under her newly aching back laid a sparkling crystal, glitter still adorning the planes of glass. The star-shaped gem was warm to the touch, suggesting it had recently been placed there after spending quite a bit of time in someone's waiting hands. There had been no card or any note from the presenter, but she already knew who it was from. Him. The one who she had defeated. The one who she had seen just that morning in the bathroom mirror. Him, who made her heart beat faster and slower all at the same time, like two drummers beating on the same bass drum at different rhythms.

_No. Stop it. Just grab it and go. _Sarah's hand reached out and snatched up the crystal – God knew why she just had to keep it – and turned from the room. Lancelot, her drawings, her pencils, all of her posters and pictures were left behind as she darted from the room. She dashed down the hallway, sprinting past where the flames had burned a hole in the cheap wall and were licking at the framed pictures on their nails. She ran past the living room toward the front door, far from the flames' reach. She wrenched it open, pushing the screen door open as well as she sprinted out into the cool, refreshing night. Sarah ran as far as the street sixty feet from her house and turned. Her house was illuminated from the interior by the flames that were climbing up the walls. Her house (well, apartment) was only one and a half (the half being the attic) levels at about 900 feet square. She almost burst into tears as she saw a tree limb that hung over where the kitchen was located start to waver in the heat waves that floated up from the house. She didn't even hear the sirens as she fell to her knees, her fears coming true as she watched her house burn.

An hour later, a fireman approached the young woman sitting on the back of the ambulance. He glanced at a paramedic that had shown up, motioning with his steely eyes. The EMT stepped over to him, whispering in hushed tones. "She's fine, just a little shaken up. The precious little thing keeps muttering over and over something about 'that damn man' but personally, I have no idea what she's talking about. She lives here by herself! Anyway, she said the fire started in the kitchen while she was-"

"I think I'll ask her myself, Phil," the fireman stated, his harsh words shutting up the chatty EMT. "It _is_ my job." He waved Phil off carelessly, stepping toward the woman. She was young, around twenty years old. Her dark eyes were back lit by the dying flames before her, fear flashing in those dark orbs. He saw her clutching something in her hands, but that was the least of his interest. He needed to know what had happened. He knelt by her side, cautiously placing a hand on her arm. "Miss..."

"Williams."

"Miss Williams, I heard from the paramedics that you're fine," he said, choosing to go the comforting way. The woman seemed rather frightened.

"Yes. I'll be fine once I get ho-" the girl cut herself off, a sob racking her thin body. A tear welled up in her right eye as she realized what she was about to say. _Once I get home. What's home anymore? My home is burned to the ground. _She sighed softly, "When I get to my stepmother and father's house." She looked down at her hands, turning the item over and over in them.

"Yes, I suppose. Can you tell me what happened here?" he asked, getting right to business.

"I was making eggs and I knew it would be a little while before the skillet warmed up so I dashed off to use the restroom. When I got there, I don't quite remember anything after I washed my hands, but I heard the smoke alarms going off and then..." She motioned with her right hand to the dying flames. "This happened."

"Do you know how long you were in the restroom?" the firefighter asked, his cold eyes watching her carefully. _Poor thing looks tired. Probably fell asleep at the sink and forgot about her eggs. _

"I don't know... maybe a half an hour?" She spoke as if she was still in a daze. He deduced it was just the shock; after all, she had just lost her home. He looked over to what was left of the house, surveying the damage. The house's clean white walls were scorched black, some parts completely gone. The skeleton of the interior was gone, some posts stretching toward the bright morning sky like fingers, reaching for the stars that had long gone. Neighbors littered the lawns on either side, watching with disbelief and pity as the remaining flames were extinguished. He looked back to the young woman, biting the inside of his lip. She had been careless, but she was scared and she was young. He didn't know her story. Something could have happened that she wasn't telling him. He sighed under his breath. "This is the typical story. You know that fire is a dangerous thing and you know not to let your stov-"

"Stove unattended," Sarah finished for him. She sighed softly. "Yes. I know. I've dealt with fires before." She looked down toward the grass beneath her bare feet.

"Oh." He blinked. He'd been on the force only a year and a half, but he'd seen his share of careless house fires. Most families were crying, some were in utter disbelief to the point they kept saying things they didn't mean to the firemen, but this girl seemed like it was scaring her but she had gone through this too many times and was way too familiar. He patted her arm gently. "I know that this may be something scary, but it's done. It's over with. Do you have a place to stay?"

Sarah instantly thought of her parents. Toby sure would be happy to see her again. Since she'd moved out, she'd seen Toby once or twice. He had begged and cried for her to let him come over to spend the weekend, but she just couldn't do it. He reminded her too much of that night when she had wished him away. She didn't mean to, not at all. Despite whatever Jareth had said, she had never meant for it to happen. Despite the harsh memories he brought up in her, she remained close to Toby through phone calls. Sarah looked up at the fireman and nodded. "Yes. I do."

He nodded back with a brief, comforting smile. "Alright. I'm sure one of your neighbors," he glanced about at the nosy crowd, "will have a phone for you to use to contact them." Sarah nodded again understandingly. She stood from the back of the ambulance as the rest of the firefighters stepped back from the cooling wreckage. She turned back to the lone fireman. "When can I go through and see if I can salvage anything?"

The fireman stared at her in disbelief, but sighed, "I believe later today. I'll let you know." She nodded with a brief smile and stepped toward the crowd to call Karen. Asking her next door neighbor to use his house phone, she leaned in the doorway as the dial tones turn to ringing. The cordless phone allowed her to watch the firemen sort through the wreckage, tossing aside twisted carnage from the fire. Finally, Karen's voice in her ears distracted her.

"Sarah! Are you alright? One of your neighbors called and said your house caught fire," Karen breathed, worry evident in her tone. "We're so worried! You better stay here – unless you have somewhere else to stay – but you shouldn't since you never really have any friends over..."

"Karen, I'm fine. Yes, my house caught fire. I do need a place to stay, but I do have friends. However, they're not... available." Sarah didn't dare tell her that her friends also lived in the Goblin City and were governed by a cruel monarch. _Who left you a beautiful gift five years ago, which you're holding in your hand right now. Remember? It's the only thing you grabbed out of the fire. _Sarah instantly shut up her inner voice. She didn't care if he left her a gift. It was merely that, a present. Probably for beating his stupid Labyrinth. "I'll come stay with you if they can't keep me. I'll know by tonight." To be honest, Sarah just wanted time to rummage through the burnt wreckage of her house before the night came, bringing its scavengers along with it.

"Alright, sweetie. Be careful. Let me know as soon as possible!" Karen and Sarah said their goodbyes and she hung up. Thanking her neighbor, she stepped outside, pocketing the crystal. The same fireman from before stopped her just at her property line. "I wouldn't go back in, ma'am. It's pretty dangerous, what with the roof being damaged and all." He paused, looking her over briefly. "In the future, be careful." He nodded, tipping his brimmed hat and jogged to the engine. Sarah waved gratefully after the emergency responders as they pulled out, leaving her behind to deal with the remains of her home. Turning back to the curled and twisted wreckage, she ignored his request and stepped over the pathways the firemen had created. Her cream colored carpet was blackened with soot and dirt that they had tracked in, never to be replaced. Sarah's eyes swept over what was left of her living room, seeing the couch that had been half-eaten by fire. She sighed softly, closing her eyes to the carnage before her. She didn't want to see this, but she had to. Opening her eyes again, she made her way gingerly back to her bedroom. The roof had burned completely through in places, especially above the kitchen and living room. Tiptoeing back the hallway, she peeked in the bathroom to find the mirror shattered on the linoleum floor. She passed it by, ignoring the shards that cut into her feet. Sarah stepped into her room cautiously, peering around. The papers and posters that had covered her walls were curled from the heat, some burned completely. Her sketchpad and pencils had acted as part of the fuel in that room. The pencils were nowhere to be seen – Sarah presumed the fire had devoured them whole. As she peered around, she caught sight of the charred remains of Lancelot. Only a few bits of fluff and fur were left. A tear tripped from her tear ducts as she stepped over to him, grasping the cooling "corpse". She held them close to her heart as she cried, letting out the stress and pain of her recent loss.

After a couple of hours, Sarah decided she was never going to find anything worth keeping. Sighing and kicking at the soot and ashes, she turned from the wreckage. She stepped blindly from the house, ignoring the pain that shot through her foot each time her cut soles touch the ground. Blood trailed behind her in places from the wounds, but she didn't care. She just wanted away from this. One more part of her life, gone and burned to the ground. It was going to haunt her for the rest of her life, just like the rest of her repressed memories. _Like Hoggle, Ludo, the Goblins, and Jareth. _"Shut up. Shut up," Sarah muttered as she stalked away from her former home.

Sarah walked for hours. She walked all over town, up back streets and down main streets. Chambersburg was large, but when you lived on the outskirts, houses were few and far between. She sighed softly to herself as she came up on Municipal Park. The black iron gates towered above her as Sarah approached. She pushed at the doors, trying to open them. Clanking from beneath her line of vision attracted her and as she looked down, she realized that a padlock and chains kept her from her destination. "Dammit. It isn't fair." She almost stomped her heel on the ground as a bit of a hissy fit, but kept herself from doing that. She had to grow up. Throwing hissy fits were not the grown up thing to do. She crossed her arms as she turned around. "Wish they weren't locked."

The sound of chains hitting the pavement caused her to turn around quickly. Her wide-eyed expression was met by the sight of the lock laying on the ground. She grinned, dropping her arms as she stepped with determination through the gates. She stepped briskly through the park, her bare feet meeting the cold pavement. Twilight had settled while she had walked, giving her barely any light to go by. She saw the shadows of playground equipment standing stark against the multicolored sky as Sarah walked by. She kept her pace quick as she wove through basketball courts and kickball fields, finally reaching the small pond. A tiny grove of willow trees attracted her as she gravitated toward them. Sitting down at the base of one, she leaned her head back. A hard clunk against the wood at her back reminded her of the crystal in her pocket.

Taking out the carved stone, she peered into it. The sparkling stone held no images for her like the ones Jareth had created out of thin air. All she could see was a warped parody of the ground behind the stone. She sighed softly once more, gripping it in her hand and dropping her arm. "I wish..." Sarah closed her eyes. "I wish I didn't have to live with Karen and Dad." Clenching her eyes shut for an extra thirty seconds, she opened them to the darkness of the willow grove. Checking her fingers, she still saw the soot and ashes that covered her. Her feet still hurt and they still were bleeding, though the blood flow had slowed to tiny droplets every now and again. She groaned loudly, a familiar whine evident in her voice. "It isn't fair!"

"You say that so often. I wonder what your basis for comparison is." A chill crept over her skin as the familiar English drawl hit her eardrums. She would know that voice anywhere. Sarah didn't dare turn her head, but she knew he was there. She peeked around the tree. Nothing. Turning her head back, she gasped in surprise. A pair of mismatched blue eyes peered back into her own, a satisfied smirk painted on his face. "Hello, Sarah precious."

"Hello, Jareth," Sarah squeaked. _Oh no. _


End file.
